Main menu

You are here

What's with all the yellow?

You might wonder if all the yellow on this site is an arbitrary design choice.

It's not.

From the 800’s through the 1100’s, Muslims forced Jews and Christians to wear distinctive clothing, including a yellow badge, hood, and/or belt. During the Middle Ages, both Muslims and Christians required Jews to wear badges. Beginning in the 1200’s, European Catholics stigmatized Jews and Muslims with distinctive clothing. Continuing through the 1700’s, Jews had to wear a red or yellow badge. In France, the yellow patch designated a badge of shame. After World War II began, Nazis revived the branding of Jews with a yellow Star of David placed over the heart on the front and back of their clothing. (In some locations, Nazis used a white armband with a blue Star of David to identify Jews.)

So the yellow is to help us remember.

(note - the stars in these black and white photos have been colorized to better reflect their actual appearance)